I'll be there
by bookaddict09
Summary: Sorry about the lame title! A Damon and Elena story. One night Stefan does not come back from going out. Worried, Damon goes looking for him to find he's been killed. Now he's got to tell Elena. What's going to happen between them now? Can Elena move on?
1. Chapter 1

**Whilst I figure some stuff out for my Jeremy and Anna story, I thought maybe i could toy around with the idea of Damon and Elena. I guess the story is quite sad at the moment, but hopefully it should pick up. **

**I think secretly i'm team Damon and Elena!**

"Damon, can you call him again?" Elena asked, fear shaking her voice.

Damon sighed, though obliged to Elena, calling Stefan for what would be the tenth time in half an hour. But it was three in the morning, and Stefan should have been back by now. He was starting to get worried about his brother, it wasn't like him to do this- to go out and not come back without telling anyone he would be gone for a while- he was always over precautious . If Stefan didn't answer this call, he would go out and look for him. After all, no one could be trusted in Mystic Falls, not when vampires were concerned, he didn't know how many people actually really knew, or believed in them. For him, there was only one person he could trust and that was the sweet girl who stood rigid and worried across the room. She had refused to sit for the last half an hour, or since it seemed that Stefan wasn't going to answer his phone- always worried for Stefan, most of the time it seemed like Elena was looking after Stefan, not the presumable other way round. Looking at her reminded him of her uncle. Yes, no one could be trusted when vampires were in concern, especially John Gilbert.

Once Damon leaned against a chair, pressing the send button, Elena started pacing the length of the room, and Damon started counting each ring rather absently minded and impatiently. After the twelfth ring, Damon pressed cancel, just before Stefan's voice mail message cut in. Damon looked over to Elena as he put the phone down, a blank look upon his face. Knowing what Damon was going to say, Elena looked like she was just about to burst into tears. Damon was across the room in a flash, his arms holding her close.

"It's okay," he whispered soothingly into her ear, "I'll find him."

He heard her exhale shakily into his shoulder.

"I should come with you,"

"No," Damon replied a little too sharply, "It's better if you stay here Elena. I'll find him much quicker without you," he said more comfortingly.

Elena leaned out of Damon's embrace and looked into the black depths of his eyes then, she nodded.

"Okay," she breathed. "Just please, be as quick as you can."

"I promise," Damon vowed, "I'll be as quick as I can."

Damon put a hand on Elena's shoulder, then the next thing she heard was the front door slamming.

Everything was quiet, Elena went and sat on the leather sofa, any control that she had in Damon's presense dissolving, as she put her head in her hands and wept, praying for Stefan's return. She couldn't no, wouldn't live without him, her soul mate. She shook her head, she wasn't going to think about that, she wasn't even going to consider the possibility, but the brief image in her mind was enough to bring a fresh round of tears.

Finally, the gentle metronome of the ancient grandfather clock broke through her clouded mind, and she peaked at her watch. Damon had been gone twenty minutes. Maybe I should call him? She thought, but them immediately decided it wasn't a good idea, she didn't know where Damon was now, he could be somewhere where a sudden phone call would not be appropriate. But then she thought, what if something happened to Damon too? And any fear that she felt before doubled. Until now, where both Salvatore brothers were in apparent danger, she had never realised just how much _both _of them meant to her. She placed her hands in her knees, folding and unfolding them, and thinking every minute that went by was like an hour. Elena sat back, resting her head on the back of the sofa and closed her eyes. She thought of the other night, when she had persuaded Stefan to keep fighting, to keep living and how she felt so rejoiced afterwards, knowing it was her physical existence which was Stefan's reason for living. It made her feel so special, in a completely different way to knowing that she was of highest ranking at her high school, that she had a group of devoted friends and that she was madly in love.

Sometime during her reverie, Elena drifted off to sleep awkwardly positioned on the sofa. She fitted restlessly in dreams, that became nightmares, which became scenarios beyond nightmares. Then she woke with a start. Through the window, the sun was almost up, painting the sky in bright passionate oranges and pinks, it seemed almost up lifting. However, randomly out of nowhere, she remembered the old English saying, which she remembered Bonnie had told her one time.

_Red sky at night, Shepherd's delight._

_Red sky in the morning, Shepherd's warning. _

She knew that it normally referred to weather and how that if the sky was tainted with red in the morning, it predicted rain. But 'warning', the thought reverberated across the walls of her mind. In this moment, she couldn't help but be suspicious.

Her worry increased as Damon's absence grew longer. She took out her phone, scrolling down to Damon's number, her thumb hovering over the little green phone. "No" she told herself. Although the idea was so tempting and she toyed with it several times, retaking the phone out of her pocket, only to eventually place over on the side table, completely out of reach.

The lack of sleep made her feel drowsy but she didn't feel like coffee, or a shower to wake her up. She didn't feel like doing anything. Not until Stefan was safe in her arms. Elena rubbed her eyes, intending to rub the sleep out of them, but realised they came away wet with fresh tears that had began to flow. Oh hurry Damon, please. She thought. You promised.

Elena bent over her knees, her dark, thick hair tumbling down to curtain her face, like a curtain at the theatre. When she would lift her head up next, everything would be alright, and happy as it had been before. However, with time continuing to tick by, and still no sign of Damon, that outcome was seeming more and more impossible.

When she did lift her head up next it was to the sound of the lock on the door starting to move. Elena sat up quickly, facing the door. Something was off though. The time it took for someone to open the door to the time it took someone to walk into the lounge wouldn't normally take that long. If it was Damon, and he had Stefan, he would be here, right now, by her side. But the moment seemed to prolong painfully, until she could see a sleek, black shadow about to enter the door.

Elena stood up and started walking slowly towards the shadow, she didn't register her footsteps and she had forgotten how to talk. And then Damon walked into view with an expression she had only seen a person being tortured wore in movies. It was pure pain and tear tracks were staining his cheeks.

"No," Elena choked, suddenly finding her voice. "Please no, no Damon, no."

She stumbled blindly towards him, sobs wrenching from her throat, and his arms caught her, and held her so close, like she was the only thing in the world that mattered, because she was, she was all he had now.

"I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry," Damon repeated over and over, clasping her closer and rubbing her back.

Without giving them permission, Damon' s eyes welled up once again. He buried his face in her neck, not once thinking about Elena's taboo blood millimetres away from him. For an immeasurable amount of time, that was how they stayed, until quietly, Elena let go of Damon, and silently walked to her room.

In her room Elena lost all sense of time. Laying on her bed and staring at her wall, she stared at the shadows that moved across them, her only knowledge that outside her personal hell, time was still moving. Elena neither cried nor spoke, like she had no existence, and that was the thing, she didn't want to exist anymore, not without Stefan. Although at times Damon's image flashed into her mind, she couldn't quite bring herself to care for what he was going through. As far as Elena was concerned, Damon was _never _as close to Stefan as she ever was.

One night, there was a quiet knock at the door, loud enough to shatter the protective mental wall that she used to block out any reality. It was Damon. She noticed that his face was paler than usual and his eyes had a reddish tinge to them and dark circles underneath. His hair seemed lanker and had no shine, which seemed to be the same for his skin, for it had a greyish colour, it didn't gleam. He looked like he hadn't fed for days, then she realised that neither had she.

In his hands was a tray of food and a glass of water. He walked over slowly, placing it on the side, not saying anything.

"I don't want it," Elena said, croakily, finding her voice. "Just take it away."

"At least have a drop of water Elena, you look like death." Damon said it with no emotion.

Obligingly, Elena sat up slowly and took a sip of water. Then Damon walked over to Elena's bed, and sat on the edge. Elena didn't cringe at the sudden closeness, there was something inside of her that made her want to be comforted. Hesitantly, Damon placed a soft hand on her cheek, wiping away a tear, then he started to talk.

"Elena, " he paused, as if he didn't want to say what he was going to say, "we need to leave,"

Elena didn't reply but a little crease formed between her eyebrows.

Damon caressed her cheek softly. "Elena, whoever killed Stefan is still here- and they want you,"

Elena choked on her water. "What?"

"There's someone who keeps asking to be invited in, they appear as a salesman, a window cleaner, it's the same person but that's not important , they want to get in and kill _you. _And Elena, I am _not _going to let that happen. It's not safe for you here anymore. We need to get on the road."

Elena closed her eyes. "Damon, I- I don't feel like going anywhere right now."

"I know Elena, I know. But I'm not losing anyone else," Damon said, looking into Elena's eyes.

Elena sighed. "Then before I go anywhere, I want to know what you have done with Stefan's body, I want to know what happened to him and I want to know who killed him,"

Elena barely registered the words coming out of her mouth. She didn't want to speak them, yet she desperatly wanted to know. It was a desperate attempt to bring peace, although she was almost certain that she would never be able to live peacefully now, not with Sefan's face a permanant memory engraved in her mind.

This shocked Damon, Elena's sudden thirst for information on Stefan. As far as he knew, Elena was doing everything physically and mentally possible to keep Stefan out of her mind. He noticed that Elena had hidden the pictures of her and Stefan, that she wasn't wearing any jewellery that Stefan had given her, it was like Stefan had never existed in this room.

Elena grew impatient, waiting for Damon to start explaining. "Please, Damon,"

"Stefan was tricked into thinking he could become human- like that's possible. I found him in the grave yard, staked. Then I watched a group of vampires take him away. I-I recognised some of them, they were from the tomb. I guess it was their idea of revenge. I w.."

"Damon, don't. Don't carry on,"

The truth was piercing Elena's heart like a knife. "It was my fault," she whispered.

"Elena, of course it wasn't your fault."

Elena was trying to fight back tears now. "If I had never gotten involved with him, he would never have wanted this, he would be alive,"

Damon wrapped his arms around Elena and held her close. She buried her head in his shoulder whilst he stroked her silky hair. "Don't say that," he repeated, "don't say that."

Elena snuggled tighter into Damon's chest as she felt a wave of ease encase her in a tight bubble.

"What are you doing, Damon?" Elena mumbled.

"I'm making it easier for you for a while, my sweet,"

Elena suddenly tensed a flair of anger building up, she ripped herself away from him.

"But I don't _want _to forget, Damon. I _want _to remember _everything_! Don't you dare take my thoughts away from me without my permission, Damon Salvatore!"

Elena got up from the bed, wiping tears from her eyes and tucking her hair behind her ears, and stomped over to her closet where she kept a travelling bag. Unzipping the bag, she went over to her draws and took out handfuls of underwear. Then out of her closet she threw several pairs of jeans and some t-shirts into the bag. From the side, she collected her wash bag then finally, she collected her coat from the back of her chair, all the while Damon remained on her bed watching her in slight bemusement.

Elena slipped on a pair of shoes and walked over to the door, opening it.

"I'll be waiting in the car," she said coldly in Damon's direction, "I suppose you want to pack some things too,"

Elena left, slamming the door behind her.

**Hope you liked it. Tell me if you want me to write some more. :)**

**Aimee**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews and comments. As requested, here is another chapter. **

Damon remained sat on Elena's bed, scanning the room with a sad look in his eyes. Even with Elena upset as she was, the room dimmed considerably when she left, like she was the life and soul of everything around her. She was the life and soul of him, and he wouldn't lose her. What Damon had seen at the graveyard was purely from a distance, truthfully, he had seen the group of vampires take Stefan away with a stake through his chest, but he couldn't truthfully say that he was one hundred percent sure that he was dead. He knew it seemed selfish of him to keep the small glimmer of hope from Elena, but what was the point?

Of course he was upset that his brother had been taken away from him, that possibly behind the face he did feel emotions towards his brother, but it was too late now to express that, which made him feel even more guilty. Damon's other guilt originated from the graveyard, where he felt responsible to have interceded, to have used his powers, to have tried to fight against the group of vampires. But there was only one of him and God knows how many of them. Cheering himself up a little bit though, Damon considered why he had in fact, chosen to stay clear of the scene -because if he had got killed who would be there for Elena? Who would be able to protect her from the danger that she unconsciously attracted to herself? Moreover, Damon knew first hand that time healed, and maybe if he waited long enough Elena would put his brother to the back of her mind and focus on him. He loved her, that's all there was to it, and he was not about to give up.

Behind his need for Elena, Damon held a fragment of compassion. He wouldn't give up on his brother, not just yet. He would try very much to find him. He had, of course, told Elena that they were going on a road trip, he didn't have to tell her specifically where they were going. He would take his time, enough time so that Elena could realise that she had feelings for him, that there was a possibility that something could happen between them. He had a slight inkling as to where if Stefan was alive, he would be- a very, very small light and the end of a very, very long and dark tunnel. If anything, Katherine would have an involvement in this, and if he by some impossible chance got to know her whereabouts he was almost certain that that would be where he would find Stefan.

But there was other issues to think about at the moment, Damon thought, getting off Elena's bed. He had to pack some belongings, though not too much, enough for a backpack. He would have to fill the boot of his car up with the rest of donated blood from the fridge, until he could get some more. He would probably wait until he was out of state, due to the blood shortages and the blood banks caused by an increased number of vampires in the area. The thought made him hurry. By now, Elena would be waiting in his car. He had lost count of how many new vampires had come into the area recently, so he didn't want her being alone for long periods of time. The thought of someone killing Elena made Damon shake with anger and his eyes turn the true matt black of coal. He wouldn't let anyone touch Elena if it was the last thing he did. So giving the room one last sweeping glance, noticing a locket on the side, which was full of vervain that Stefan had given Elena, he picked it up, stuffing it into his pocket. Elena would want it later, he thought. After the shock, she will want something to remember him by. The vervain would make her feel safe, safe from him, he thought in with a jolt, but he refused from now on to use any of his powers to influence her. Everything would be Elena's choice. And he hoped against hope, that if they ever found Stefan and by some remote chance he was alive, she would be in love with him too deeply to ever fall for Stefan again.

Damon was able to get into his car and start the engine without Elena even breaking her trance. It looked like someone was influencing her, though he knew there wasn't anyone. If there was, they would be dead by now. Elena had a look of self pity about her. Her knees were folded against her chest as if she was trying to hold herself together and her face was expressionless. Looking at her face, he noticed that behind the exquisite beauty that vampire and human alike seemed to notice first, she seemed incredibly tired. There were dark circles underneath her eyes and they looked puffy and sore. In his most gentle, most persuasive voice Damon said,

"Why don't you get some sleep Elena?"

For a minute Damon thought Elena was going to ignore him. She made no gesture on whether that she had heard him or not and was about to repeat his question. However, Elena eventually responded.

"I'm not tired," she mumbled into her knees.

Damon's eyes creased up, concerned for the vulnerable girl beside him. He tried a different technique.

"Elena, before everything that happened," Damon didn't want to mention Stefan's name, it seemed a taboo word at the moment, " he made me promise to take care of you. Would you please allow me to do that?"

It surprised him when Elena's reply was quite sharp.

"I'm not tired okay, Damon. I'll go to sleep when I'm ready."

As rolls of countryside flashed past the window, Damon purely kept his concentration on Elena. He could see her head nodding, as if she was fighting off sleep and to confirm this, her eye lids kept closing. Every now and then, out of the corner of his eye, he would see her suddenly jolt, lifting her head back up, and he ended up timing how long it took for her head to slump back down again. Concerned, Damon decided he would do something just to push Elena further into the boundaries of sleep. Taking a hand off the steering wheel, Damon rummaged in his glove department until he found a CD of piano collections. It wasn't usually his thing ,Stefan, sadly was more into the calming effects of music, so he wasn't too sure on how the CD came to be in his car. However, Damon took the CD out of the case and placed into his CD player.

Five minutes into the CD, Elena's head drooped down again and it didn't come back up. A small smirk escaped Damon's lips as he saw this. However, the CD soon began to be more of a reminder of Stefan than Damon wanted, so he took it out and exchanged it for a more upbeat tune which he kept on too low for Elena to hear.

Damon was driving into the sunset now and looking at the clock on the dashboard, he realised that he had been driving for six hours. He had no idea what town he was in because he hadn't been paying attention to the road signs, however Damon decided that he would stop at the next motel. Glancing over at Elena, he realised that she was sleeping in what he imagined to be quite an uncomfortable position, it also reminded him that Elena was, in fact a human and would need a refreshment break, and he did hope that out of the car, he would be able to persuade her to eat something.

A couple of minutes later, Damon approached a smart looking building which had a big 'vacancies' sign on the main road and he pulled into the car park. Once he had parked furthest away from any other vehicle, he contemplated on whether to leave Elena in the car whilst he checked in a room or take her with him. He decided on the second idea. He got out the car and in a flash was round the other side opening Elena's door. He leaned over her sleeping form , trying not to touch her as he leant over and unclipped her seatbelt. Elena wriggled a bit, but didn't wake. He carefully picked her up and carried her like a baby in one arm. With the other, he opened the boot taking out Elena's travel bag and stuffing a bag of blood into his pocket. Then, he made his way to the lobby of the motel.

Once inside, the owner of the motel seeing his fully loaded arms motioned for him to follow her to a group of outbuildings which had been renovated into some rooms. Damon didn't mention anything when the lady showed him to a double room, thinking that Elena deserved a bigger bed. He spotted a chair in the corner that would have to do for him.

Still not wanting to leave Elena, Damon found that he had to influence the motel owner, telling her that it wasn't necessary for him to have to check in. Once she had left the room, he placed Elena's things on the floor, and walked over to the made bed, being careful not to jostle her. He pulled the covers back and laid her down carefully, before tucking the covers in around her.

Damon intended on going right away to his chair, where he would drink the bag of blood. He hadn't had blood in days and it was beginning to show. He seemed to have lost all health about him, and he wondered briefly whether he should have brought in another bag. Then he remembered that he had to rationalise himself for the meantime. But he couldn't move, not from the image of beauty in front of him. Elena's calm sleeping figure, no pain, no sadness on her face, just relaxed and peaceful. Before he even realised it, his hand was moving to Elena's hair, where he stroked it, as light as a feather over and over. He didn't want to move.

In two seconds, he had brought the chair over to Elena's side. There, as light as a moth's wing, he touched her face, her jaw line, her hair line. Then before he could stop it, an image of Katherine, they were both laying on Damon's bed, staring into each other's eyes, more feelings shared, more words spoken in their gaze then in any conversation. Although he despised Katherine's memories now, he realised that just touching Elena like this was like a current, a generator which powered emotion and feeling deep within his body.

Forgetting his blood, he leaned down and lent his head, placing it on the edge of Elena's pillow. He stared at her closed eyelids, so soft and pink, at her dark lashes and the curve of her brow. Such subtle features, but contributing to her beauty. She was so much more beautiful than Katherine. She couldn't be any more different.

And they were his last thoughts that night. For his thoughts of Elena acted as a lullaby, lulling him into a dream-like state, where from the hours that he spent refusing to go to sleep in Mystic Falls, just because there was a small chance that something could happen to Elena, he could finally rest, and for the remainder of the night, there was not a sound from either of them. For the first time since Stefan's likely death, both Elena and Damon were peaceful. The morning would bring back reality.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took so long to write. Loads of school work.**

**Hope you enjoy. Please review. :o)**

When Elena woke to find Damon's head peacefully rested on her pillow, her first initial reaction was to flinch, as she backed away quickly from his close proximity. Though as she took in his features, not distorted by Damon's mask of emotions, she couldn't help but feel softer towards him. His hair flopped over his face, covering his velvety eyelids and his she could see just how carefully sculpted Damon's mouth was. All of a sudden she was overwhelmed with a desire to just touch him. His face, his hair. Just one touch. She couldn't think of another time when an opportunity like this would arise again, so, ever so slightly, she brushed a finger tip down his jaw, feeling the hard line of it.

Her eyes creased with the wonder of his beauty, as she drew her hand back to stare at Damon's sleeping form. When the orangey light filtering through curtains streamed into a golden flow, Damon's eyes began to flutter. His sight was blurry at first, he could see a figure, but his eye sight still hadn't cleared. Over time though, his vision focussed, and he strained, seeing a calm and beautiful face staring at him.

"Elena?" he mumbled.

Elena smiled. Did Elena just smile? Damon thought.

"Morning," Elena said.

Damon slowly lifted his head off the pillow and out of the awkward position he had fallen asleep in, flexing his muscles and feeling the ache of his neck.

"You're talking today?"

Elena stretched.

"I guess it's not good to sit in the dark," she said, sitting up.

Unfortunately, as she did so, she came face to face with a horrible woman with hair like a hay stack, smudged make up and creased clothes. She realised she was staring into a mirror.

Elena moaned.

"What's the matter? You ok? Damon interrogated

"I look like a hag,"

"You're definitely feeling better this morning,"

Elena smiled again briefly.

"Why don't I run you a bath?" Damon said.

Elena looked at him in surprise.

"I'm feeling nice today, okay. I think I'm allowed to do that once in a while,"

"You don't have to do this you know," Elena said getting up to open the curtains.

In a flash Damon was behind her, a firm grasp on her arm.

"What?" she said.

"You don't know who's out there,"

Elena sighed.

"Anyway, referring to your statement, I do have to do this, I promised S.." Damon broke off thinking it better not to mention his brother's name, he didn't want to break Elena's brief good mood, "and I _want _to, you're my friend, Elena. And friends help each other, right?"

"Yes, they do," said Elena, putting her arms round him and giving him a quick hug, before he could respond. "Thank you," she said.

Still slightly shocked with Elena's sudden mood swing, Damon went to run Elena a bath. He made sure that the water was just right and added a little bubble bath that he found in the cabinet, which to his surprise, smelled very nice.

Once he was finished, he called Elena to let her know that her bath was ready and on opening the door, he found Elena already in a dressing gown, her hair tied back, make up removed and ready for her bath.

"Enjoy Elena," he said, gesturing to the bath tub, "if you need me, I'll be out here," he said, thinking of the bag of blood from last night.

"Okay," she said. Thank you, Damon," Elena said before closing the door.

Once the warm bath water was lapping over her skin, Elena closed her eyes and tried to relax. The vanilla essence of the bubble bath made her almost lethargic, although she couldn't understand why she still felt sleepy after sleeping most of yesterday and the night. Elena could feel her lids drooping, she was fighting to keep her eyes open. Finally, she decided to give up and let them close. Mistake.

A flash, Stefan his head led in her lap as she stroked his fine hair, their eyes held together by a magnetic force.

"Stefan," she said.

"Yes, my love,"

"I love you, Stefan,"

"I love you to, Katherine,"

Elena screamed, her eyes flew open and she sat up, water spraying everywhere. Then she lost consciousness, sinking slowly into the water.

In half a second Damon was there holding her head up shouting "Breathe, Elena. Breathe."

Elena coughed, choking up water, as Damon pulled her wet body close to him.

"God, don't ever do that to me, Elena. Ever. You hear me?" he said, pulling her head back to he could see her face.

Then he pulled her close again, as Elena soaked his clothes with tears and her wet skin.

"Shh," Damon said over and over, soothingly, rocking her gently.

After a while, once Elena had stopped shaking, she pulled back wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Damon."

"Elena, you don't need to apologise," Damon replied, sceptically.

"So.."

"Shh," Damon said, putting a finger to her lips. "Turn around, " he said.

Obligingly, Elena turned so the back of her head was facing Damon.

With feather light touches, Damon started to massage her head, seeming to know all the right places. There was nothing Elena could do but relax, and Damon felt pleased once Elena's shoulders began to loosen.

From Elena's wash bag, Damon squeezed some sweet, tropical smelling shampoo into his hand, and started to brush his fingers through her hair, rubbing the shampoo whilst continuing to expertly massage her head. Once Elena's hair was filled with white, foamy bubbles, he took the shower hose and rinsed her hair gently, and repeated it all with the conditioner.

Then Damon saw Elena's combon the side, and started to softly comb through Elena's silky auburn hair, carefully working out the knots so the process was more therapeutic than something that would normally make you wince if you did it yourself.

There was only one thing left to do now, and before he could stop it, his words were coming out.

"Turn around," he whispered into Elena's ear.

Elena didn't know what made her do it. Something inside of her had just switched off and she wasn't bothered by the fact that she was completely naked, that she was completely exposing herself to Damon, the brother of her late boyfriend. But she did, and Damon was surprised too.

She swivelled around slowly, like a piece of artwork that was being revealed. That's exactly what she was, Damon realised with a jolt. No two humans could have created something this beautiful, not on this earth. Elena was so prefect that she had to have been designed, each gene, each chromosome, created to the finest detail, like the small mole on her left breast. He wasn't worthy of her. No one was worthy of her, Stefan, Matt they too weren't worthy. She needed a God for this Goddess. But hang on one moment, of course, _he _was a God, that's what he rightly thought of himself. _He _could have her, _he _would have her. He had never been so in love with someone like this, not even with Katherine.

And so Damon delicately washed Elena, as her brown, chestnut eyes followed his hands as they circled her body in ways that she only dreamt of being touched. Elena felt that in another world, where it would have been Damon that she had fallen in love with, this moment would have been the most sensitive, most savouring moment, but all she could think of now, was the peace and clear mind which came with Damon's touch, because Damon's touch was all she could think about.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, another chapter. Really should be doing revision right now. **

**Don't own the vampire diaries by the way. Just have a lot of story ideas**

**Anyway, enjoy. **

Once Damon had left, allowing Elena to get dry and to put on some clean clothes, Elena's mind was still thinking about one thing and one thing only. On a good note, it stopped her thinking about him, she thought as she pulled on some trousers, on a bad note, it felt wrong to not have Stefan on her mind, but every time that he was in her mind, it cut her like the sharp blade of a carving knife. Elena cringed from that pain, so hastily, began reshaping all her thoughts on the way Damon had just touched her, massaged her, played with her hair.

She pulled on the rest of her clothes and cleared up the bathroom, picking up her shampoo, conditioner and hairbrush and putting it into her wash bag. Finally, she wrapped another dry towel around her head, picked up her dirty clothes, and regretfully opened the door, which would put her in the same room with the exact person that she really didn't want to be with right this minute.

There he was, sitting on a chair, a smirk etched upon his face. Elena decided to ignore it, not in the mood for fun and games, she was still in mourning, serious mourning, and just because he had managed to impossibly lighten her, it was no reason to look smug. This was something that she disliked about Damon, it would have been something that he- she wouldn't think his name- would never do.

"What?" Damon said, catching Elena staring it at him.

"It's nothing," she said in reply, walking over to the small mirror opposite the bed to put some make up on.

The room was filled with an awkward silence as Elena applied a layer or powder, blusher and finally a light coating of mascara. She didn't really need make up, in fact, she had been told she looked good without it, but it was a nice feeling when she had it on, like there was something to hide under. Always in the background, somewhat a distraction, was Damon perched on his seat, staring across the room drinking from a plastic cup which he had got from the tea and coffee making set, which Elena could only guess, contained blood. It reminded her that she had to eat, and indeed, she felt a little hungry, so without consulting Damon first, she quickly packed up her make-up, grabbed a jacket which Damon must have brought in last night that was lying over one side of the double bed, and strode out the door.

In the same second, a dark figure stood in front of her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Elena moved to dodge past Damon, but he blocked her again.

"Getting something to eat, now let me past,"

"Elena, it's not my fault that you gave into me this morning, it was purely an act of kindness and I _didn't _influence you," Damon said sternly, staring into Elena's eyes.

"I know, that's the reason why I'm mad. I wished you had influenced me,"

Damon looked at her in utter confusion until Elena explained herself.

"Then I wouldn't feel so bad, like I've betrayed... him," she finished quietly.

"Look, if it makes you feel better Elena, there was nothing intentional about it,"

"I know, I know. It's just.. it doesn't matter,"

Damon didn't want to push Elena anymore than he had done. He was just so pleased that he had her talking finally. The days and days of silence made him feel like he was dragging around a sad looking cardboard cut out because of Elena's recent permanent facial expressions.

"Well, it's nice to see a little life in you now," Damon said.

Elena's lips turned up just fractionally.

"Come on, we can talk more later, let's find you somewhere to eat."

There wasn't anywhere descent to eat in the town, so after a quick check around, Damon decided that over all, it would be better to just move on.

"So, do you have any idea at all, where we are headed, Damon?"

"Nope," he said as he held the door open for Elena.

"Is there anywhere that _you _would like to go, Elena?"

There was only one place that she really, truly wanted to go to. But this was something that she had wanted to do with... But Damon seemed so much happier in her presence, like she was his life force, his reason for existence after... I guess it would be appropriate to go to there with Damon, he, after all was her friend and, she thought, it would be nice to have somewhere to aim for instead of just deliriously driving around state after state.

"I would like to go to Italy,"

"Italy," Damon said incredulously.

"You asked me where I wanted to go, and I have told you."

"Okay," Damon sighed, " Let's go to Italy. Anywhere in particular?"

"I've always been attracted to Venice,"

"Then Venice we shall go, my lovely Elena," he said with a smile.

Damon started the car, driving way too fast, cutting into the traffic at an interval which Elena wouldn't have dared tried. After thirty minutes, Damon spotted a small cafe whilst passing through a small town. He pulled over on the curb by the cafe and he and Elena both walked in, choosing to sit in a secluded section away from the hustle and bustle of everyday conversation.

There, desperate for a warm drink to wake her up, Elena ordered a coffee and a bowl of fruit salad with yogurt whilst Damon refused to order anything. Once Elena was taking hot sips of coffee, she felt ready to face another day. She wished though, that Damon would stop staring at her, he hadn't taken his eyes of her once, since entering the cafe.

"What?" Elena whispered, accusingly.

"What, what?"

"You keep staring at me, why?" Elena demanded.

"I'm just wondering, thinking. Is that a crime?"

"It is if it's about me," Elena said flatly.

"Who else am I meant to think about then?"

"Yourself, you usually seem pretty good at that."

Damon laughed. "You definitely seem more like yourself today. Well, I'm thinking about what it could possibly have been to make you scream like that, would you care to enlighten me?"

At that moment, Elena's food arrived, and she took that time to make an excuse as to not talk, pouring yogurt onto her fruit and taking a bite, slowly chewing her mouthful. She heard Damon's feet tap as he grew impatient. She _really _didn't want to talk about it because it involved talking about... him.

Damon was glad that he had heightened senses, because he had to strain his ears to catch what Elena was saying, which was so quiet and so fast.

She explained about her dream, about Stefan and Katherine.

"I don't even know why I had it," she said, confused.

Elena put her fork down, suddenly not hungry. "It's not like I'm jealous of her or anything, or like I'm thinking of her all the time,"

Damon couldn't figure out the reason either. If anything it was suspicious. Especially when Elena described that she had seen the image as soon as she had closed her eyes. But it couldn't be... that was impossible. No, it was purely a coincidence. Katherine couldn't have _possessed _her. Because that could mean, that could mean _Stefan _could be with Katherine. _That _in itself was impossible. No Stefan was dead, he had seen it.

"I don't know," Damon admitted.

They sat there for another minute in awkward silence. It was always awkward with Damon, there had never been any awkward silences before.

"Are you finished?" Damon said finally.

"Yes," Elena said, getting up from her seat, sliding on her jacket.

Damon waved to the waitress, who gave him their bill. He didn't check it, but he gave her a note before striding out of the cafe.

With a backward glance, Elena saw the waitresses eyes bulge.

"How much did you give her?" Elena asked, shakily, still distressed from telling Damon about her dream.

Recognising she was uncomfortable, Damon pulled her close as they walked the remaining steps to his car. They stood facing each other quickly.

"Enough," Damon said simply, taking a strand of Elena's hair and placing behind her ear. The feel of it brought back a whole deluge of memories from that morning.

Elena then got into the passenger side of the car and Damon slid into his seat.

"Where to now then?" Said Elena.

"The nearest airport," Damon replied, flashing a smile as he revved the engine.

Then they sped off, both of them thinking of the sudden electrical spark that had ignited with Damon's touch.


End file.
